Clinical characteristics of heat stroke in bath facilities, and analysis of predictive factors of multiple major complications

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of heat stroke in a bath facility and investigate predictive factors of multiple major complications in heat stroke patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective study on heat stroke patients who visited an urban emergency center from January 2010 to March 2018. We compared clinical characteristics, complication, and outcomes of heat stroke patients in bath and non-bath facilities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify independent predictors of multiple major complications in heat stroke patients. RESULTS: A total of 67 heat stroke patients with heat stroke were enrolled, of which 42 (62.6%) were in a bath facility and 25 (37.3%) were in a non-bath facility. Patients with heat stroke in the bath facility were characterized by old age, past medical history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and high incidence of hypotension compared with those in the non-bath facility but also low incidence of acute renal failure, seizure, and multiple major complications. In the multivariate analysis, predictive factors of multiple major complications in heat stroke patients were non-bath facility (odds ratio [OR], 5.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2–29.9), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)≤8 (OR, 8.2; 95% CI, 1.3–49.4), and mean arterial pressure (MAP), body temperature above 40.5℃ (OR, 8.1; 95% CI, 1.1–58.8) < 60 mmHg (OR, 14.8; 95% CI, 1.8–122.9). CONCLUSION: Heat stroke in the bath facility resulted in less major complications, and high body temperature, GCS ≤8, and MAP < 60 mmHg were independent predictive factors of multiple major complications in heat stroke patients.